Postgame Avs-Sharks Game 5 – Washington Generals would have been ashamed

SAN JOSE – At least when the Generals know they are going to lose every single game to the Harlem Globetrotters, they at least make a good run that gives some pause for worry to the kids and moms in the crowd. Tonight, the Avs were the Washington Generals version that refused to even make a run.

First off, let’s get to the officiating issue: I’ve tweeted quite a bit about what I felt was one-sided officiating against our fair-haired lads from Denver. That has earned me the predictable titles of “homer” by others and little lectures that the beat writer is supposed to have no opinion on anything.

Well, take those little lectures and put ‘em out with the rest of the trash for me, would ya? Because I have brain cells that still seem to be firing, I’m going to stick with what I’ve gathered from them: that the Avs have gotten hosed by the referees so far in this series. After TJ Galiardi’s little stick-holding minor assessed early in the second period tonight, that brought the total number of power plays to that point in the series to: San Jose 21, Colorado 10.

Debate the Galiardi call all you want, but let’s examine what happened toward the end of the second period tonight. Cody McLeod cross-checked San Jose’s Douglas Murray from behind, and into his own goalie and the right post of the net. That should have been a penalty, granted.
But here’s what the refs did: they gave NO penalty to McLeod. They DID give a four-minute minor to Scott Hannan, who, for all I saw, was just trying to act as a peacemaker, trying to grab someone and calm them down. Happens all the time in NHL scrums. Meanwhile, San Jose’s Travis McGinn started to PUNCH Avs rookie Matt Duchene, not just once but a few times.
McLeod tried to go after McGinn, but was held back by the refs. Hannan was still trying to act as peacemaker, never once throwing a punch of cross-checking anybody.

So what happens: Hannan gets FOUR MINUTES for roughing. McLeod, who started the whole thing, got nothing. McGinn, who was essentially a third-man-in and clear-as-day threw punches against Matt Duchene, got NOTHING. The Sharks got a two-minute power play out of the whole day. Maybe that was the just result after McLeod’s initial cross check, but McLeod never was penalized, innocent Hannan was penalized twice as much as anybody and a guy who threw punches against an innocent rookie got off scot free.
I wrote a tough column today about the whining from Vancouver about the officiating in their series with LA., and now people can, they think, rightfully accuse me of hypocrisy for ripping Canucks whining over the officiating, while doing just as much on my own for the Avs.
But, no, I don’t see anything as a league “conspiracy” against the Avs, as a lot of Canucks fans seem to believe. I just think the Avs have gotten a lot of bad calls. That’s it. And I’m not backing off that. But I do NOT believe it’s because the league wants Denver out, because of any marketing/TV ratings reasons – as they do in Vancouver.

OK then, about the series as it stands now: San Jose is the better team. I know that, you know that, we all know what. Yes, it would have been a more interesting proposition had the Avs had a full lineup, with a dangerous Peter Mueller and Milan Hejduk at their normal posts. And yes, it would have been a more interesting proposition if the officials took off their Teal Colored glasses once in a while and, you know, maybe called Rob Blake for any number of violations that seemed to clearly go against the rule book, like his bear hugging of Matt Duchene behind the net in the first period of a scoreless game.

But none of us can escape the hard truth that the two games the Avs have won this series, the puck went in off San Jose equipment. They were “fortunate” bounces. Every championship team gets a few of those along the way. But there have to be no-doubt-about-it wins that make the lucky bounce games seem like quaint grants of good fortune.

Right now, the Avs are lacking those no-doubt kinds of wins.

Look, we all knew the Avs were playing with house money in this series. They were supposed to have cleaned out their locker a couple weeks ago. They are still a team to have our admiration for what its done to this point. They also deserve some sympathy for losing two-thirds of their second line and still being one home victory away from playing in a Game 7 – where anything can happen.,

But everything coimes to an end, and this Avalanche team is looking a lot like it’s a team that knows its end is nigh. The old saying among sports people on injuries is: “You can overcome a big injury or two for a game or twoj. But after a game or two, you face your waterloo if you can’t get them back.” You just can’t go for very long after injuries to top players. It’s called a “regression toward the mean.”

Its Jamie McGinn… Watch more of that and you will see that McGinn was initially going after Duchene and then somehow grabbed a hold of (Never was a Shark) Hannan and Scott sure threw a shot or two. You should research more before you try and write/rally your sad city behind your ideas and outlooks. Your team is playing desperate hence making penalty after penalty. Yes I will agree with you on one point and say that some calls could have been done without…. but if you really are a hockey fan, which my guess is your not…. you would know that ever game and series has those blown calls and missed opportunities, its part of the game, one of which you should pay more attention to.

Dave’s A KIller

McGinn still should’ve gotten 5 for dropping his gloves and punching Duchene. A few blown calls is natural, but a 2-1 ratio is conspicuous. My current disappointment is that the Avs wouldn’t amp it up and put on the foil at the end there to send a message for game 6. Where’s the pride? Granted McCloed tried at least twice and was hugged down by the zebras, but there should have been a lot more indignant anger and actions on the part of the Avalanche, IMHO.

Anonymous

Dave, I agree 100%…why did we NOT set any kind of tone after that? McLeod boarded McGinn, but that did nothing…he was up and skating around like nothing happened. He needs to get whupped and whupped royally when he gets to town…no questions asked. He wanted to fight so bad, that he took after….a skinny 19 year old boy…what a champion…what a class act, what a classy team. Something better happen….BUT remember, this is OUR Avalanche….the same organization who didn’t do crap to Bertuzzi after he returned…

Anonymous

McGinn is a brave soul, isn’t he? If he wants to fight, he should fight a MAN, not a 19 year old KID…I hope he gets his face bashed in. The refs stepping in no doubt saved his sorry @$$, and I don’t think there will be anything that saves it in Game 6. As for your smack about your precious Sharks, they MAY get out of this series, but they won’t get past the next one…mark my words. They won’t amount to JACK SQUAT…

Leap

Hate to break it to you all who think big bad McGinn is going after a 19 year old, but the lad is only 20 years old himself. Last time I checked, one year diffence isn’t that great!

Anonymous

Whuups….HAHAHAHAHAHA!! I STILL don’t care!! How many fighting majors has McGinn gotten over the course of the season?

Anonymous

2 figting majors….

sharksfan408

Its Jamie McGinn… Watch more of that and you will see that McGinn was initially going after Duchene and then somehow grabbed a hold of (Never was a Shark) Hannan and Scott sure threw a shot or two. You should research more before you try and write/rally your sad city behind your ideas and outlooks. Your team is playing desperate hence making penalty after penalty. Yes I will agree with you on one point and say that some calls could have been done without…. but if you really are a hockey fan, which my guess is your not…. you would know that ever game and series has those blown calls and missed opportunities, its part of the game, one of which you should pay more attention to.

Chantal Rouleau

There is nothing wrong about getting penalties and the Avalanche does deserve most of the penalties they get, but all we're saying is please when the other team has penalties, and there are many instances where the Sharks should get penalties and don't get any, call them !It was a very bad timing for having a real bad game as a team. This will propulse the Sharks in a way that will make it very difficult to stop them. They will get out of this game with a lot of confidence and I don't think the Avs will come in with a lot of confidence next game.I like the way we played in the third period and this is how we'll have to play from the first minute on next game. Hendricks should play more. Even though I thought the Avalanche tried to shoot more on net, we still tried the perfect play too often costing turnovers and taking away great opportunities to shoot the puck. The other thing that amazes me and frustrates me a lot, our shots don't get through very much. It seems there is always a skate, a leg, a stick in the way of our shots. The Sharks have a lot of shots on goal but they shoot from everywhere, they don't mind whether it's pretty or not, they don't mind whether it's innocent looking shots or not. Our players don't drive the net either. Nabokov sees all the pucks and we are never close for rebounds. We are making it very easy on the opposition and how can the Sharks get penalized when they don't face any adversity ? Still there is no excuse in the world to not show up in a playoff game or any given game from the very first minute. We lost this game by our own fault !Let's regroup for game 6 !

Shrk2th

Chantal, I agree with you. I did see some uncalled penalties against SJ too. I also saw some potential penalties not called against your Av’s. Were there more uncalled SJ penalties? Maybe. I guess it depends which team you are rooting for (See: Adrian Dater) As a Sharks’ fan, I’m not objective enough to know for sure.

The Rock

All I can say, is win or lose the Av's have a much brighter future than the SanChokee Sharks! So sharksfan you enjoy this series win against our junior aged rookies because Detroit will take care of your guys in the next round. As for Jamie..IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT HIS NAME IS….he will get his the next game. Look for papa Foote to set a tone by knocking his teeth in on Saturday..I garantee damntee it!

Shrk2th

“I garantee damntee it!” – Now that’s funny. Who talks like that?

As for ” …you enjoy this series win against our junior aged rookies” So…you are giving up on the series already? Really? What kind of Avalanche fan are you? Because, yo uare right. They ARE a good club, and their future does look bright. I don’t know for sure that SJ will; win, but I do think they have momentum.

Anonymous

Dude, I appreciate your reference to The Rock and all, but as an Avs fan, why you gotta prematurely root for DET? That’s sacrilege!

GOALER23

Railing against the officiating time after team as you do makes you look the fool Mr. Dater. The better team is drawing penalties more often, that's all there is to it.

JML

Hate to say it, but I agree. I was at the game last night (probably about the only Avs sweater in the crowd) and I saw a Colorado team that didnt show up to play, running around, taking incredibly dumb penalties (yes Kyle Quincey, I’m talking about you). Seen that all series (yes TJ Galiardi, you’ve played well, but hitting an opposing player on an icing? Or Stastny checking someone away from the play?).
Matt Henricks has it just right — if the Avs actually spend some time in the Sharks defensive zone, the Avs will draw penalties.
Two comments on my experience at the game last night. (1) I agree with Dater that HP Pavilion is loud — those are some hard core fans; (2) I wore a No. 21 Avs sweater, and took a lot of crap for it, BUT I found the fans to be good natured, fun-loving, rubbing it in in the right spirit (And I still think I got the best zinger in on the night when I told a fan: “In Colorado, we have a saying: You can’t win the Stanley Cup every year, but San Jose can’t win the Stanley Cup any year.” Fun watching that fan shut up quickly). In my book, San Jose fans deserve a huge amount of credit for supporting their team and for being good natured, classy fans. Now if only we could do something about that teal…

Dave’s A Killer

Boo GOALER23, Horray Beer! Also you look more the fool for being a Sharks fan! Your mom too.

http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/OP4HTQYMJYJUYRGQ76KJYRUXYM Lee C

good one bro!! that was killlerrrrr!!!

http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/OP4HTQYMJYJUYRGQ76KJYRUXYM Lee C

i love how Dater failed to mention mcleods five minute charging major, that certainly must have been a bad call as well. the simple matter of fact is the sharks obtain these powerplays from hard work and a lack of avalanche discipline, not skewed officiating.

wolskiyote88

Yeah. Noticed that as well. Simply, the Sharks have controlled the puck about 75% of the time during all the games. When you have the puck that much in the other team’s offensive zone, the defending team gets tired and are more likely to take a penalty. Also, when a team is constantly skating on their heels as the Avs have been the whole series, those players get frustrated and are also more likely to take an undisciplined penalty.

Dater is the worst of the homers in Denver. The absolute worst.

http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/OP4HTQYMJYJUYRGQ76KJYRUXYM Lee C

i love how Dater failed to mention mcleods five minute charging major, that certainly must have been a bad call as well. the simple matter of fact is the sharks obtain these powerplays from hard work and a lack of avalanche discipline, not skewed officiating.

lordstanley01

The Sharks were gaining entry to the Avs zone way too easily last night. Time after time, the Sharks crossed the blue line uncontested while the Avs seemed to hit a wall of teal every time they came through the neutral zone. Just like the OT winner in Game 4, the Avs d-men just keep backing up letting the Sharks' forwards charge the net and blast away from the top of the circles.It's kind of like setting up your defensive line 10 yards from the line of scrimmage. They're conceding way too much yardage in their own end.Of course, the defensive coverage hasn't been good for the past few games but Anderson has been able to bail them out until last night.

Chantal Rouleau

You are absolutely right. We keep giving all the latitude San Jose needs to get in the zone at full speed ! We are too soft on our coverage and the defensemen back too much !

davidkrabs

Dater, I agree entirely with you. The officiating has been terribly one sided. I hate how no one ever believes that officials are biased. Officals can have a bias for any number of reasons including: being paid off (someone once said “No professional sporting even in which people bet on is ever on the up and up”, the Vancouver idea that the league is out to get them which is possible if not exactly probable, or the a ref or linesman could just have it out for Colorado. Regardless of what people want to believe, actions don't lie. Review the games, and you'll see the bad calls, and the missed calls.

The Hannan thing was BS. How does McGinn get nothing for punching. In every series except this one the more physical team has the more penalties, It makes sense (think Ducks when they won) Except our little speedy Avs are just racking up the calls. Doesn't make sense to me. We first period I forget who but we cross check a shark in front of his own net the guy is like 6'3 225 and he goes down like he 5'7, 185. Be a MAN out there take your visor off in a fight (sorry pet peeve) and battle for your position its the PLAYOFFS and that's why the Sharks will not win the cup they aren't manly enough they just fall, easily and a team with equal skill will out work then.

jimbo

“How does McGinn get nothing for punching.”

McGinn got 2:00 for roughing at 18:52. Always, always, always fact check what Dater says before you refer to it. Facts aren’t his specialty, and especially when he gets all red-faced and frothy at the mouth, he tends to ignore them and exaggerate, like any good reporter does.

And seriously, why do Sharks fans feel the need to come over to the DP forums and troll here? Is it because hockey coverage is so poor and the “fans” in California so uneducated that they cannot carry a conversation over on their home turf? That seems like the only logical explanation to me.

jimbo

Funny, I don’t see on the scoresheet any indication of who McGinn roughed. Mine just says Hannan got two roughing minors and McGinn got one, all at the same time of the game. Do you have some sort of super-detailed box score that breaks it down?

Anonymous

The NHL keeps track of whom penalties are committed against? That’s news to me! When did they start doing that?

I stand corrected. Thank you for the fact check mogendavid as I did not bother to look it up.

I seriously thought they only logged who was guilty of the penalty and not also who drew it.

Anonymous

New as of this year. For statgeeks only.

jimbo

Interesting. I’d like to know if there’s an NHL official making that play-by-play, or just some guy in the press box trying to make sense of things. I know that the refs never skate up to the official scorekeeper and say “22, two minutes for roughing, drawn by McGinn.” So my guess is that the play-by-play is not an official account, it’s just some guy trying to keep up.

At any rate, I see McGinn hit Duchene a couple times, but I never see him hit Hannan, so whoever says Hannan drew that penalty, I question that. But who cares? McGinn got two minutes for his part in it, and that’s just about right. He didn’t do nearly enough to get a 5, and it’s not like he was just whaling on a defenseless Duchene; Matt was right in the middle of it. Duchene didn’t get a penalty, but only because his feeble attempt at a punch at :28 didn’t land anywhere.

Anonymous

Rule 38.2 Real Time Scorers – There shall be appointed for duty at every game played in the League the following Real Time Scorers:
(i) Shot Scorer
(ii) Action Scorer
(iii) Penalty Scorer
(iv) Time on ice – Home
(v) Time on ice – Visitor
(vi) Spotterhttp://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=26325
As for the penalties probably about right overall maybe even depending on the crew and who they “owe” at the time.

Anonymous

Actually we just like rubbing it in your face…

http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/OP4HTQYMJYJUYRGQ76KJYRUXYM Lee C

haha no our blog is far superior in followers and has David Pollak being a beat writer who can actually see both sides of the field. its just fun to get the ridiculous perspective you guys have.

Hugh Jorgan

Tom, Sharks fans are coming to the DP forums for a good laugh. Not because hockey coverage is poor in San Jose. We actually have a pretty awesome beat reporter. You’d be jealous if you weren’t such a hater.

Objective Sharks Fan

You only need to read the Avs fans emotional tirades rather than real assessments of Avs problems to know that Sharks fans are not the ones uneducated about hockey. Read some Sharks forums after the Sharks lost game one and game three. You won’t see Sharks fans blaming others, only the Sharks team. Sharks fans are here to set the record straight regarding why the Sharks are up 3-2 and it is not about corrupt, paid-off, or biased officiating. Sharks fans are not afraid of a fight in this series. Come on over to our forums and well set it straight for you over there also, without emotional BS.

Shrk2th

First of all, the 6’3″ dman was Douglas Murray. He is one of the few who takes off his helmet to fight each and EVERY time (and his opponents rarely do). He was cross-checked into Nabby up high. A dman NEVER falls on his goalie on purpose. That would be complete idiocy to risk injury to your own goalie.

I was going to discuss the penalties, but our respective fan bases will never agree on this, so never mind.

I see why you all like Dater’s columns. He is as big an Avalanche fan as the rest of you. Objective, he is not. (And neither are we)

Let me say this about the series; I take my hat off to this year’s Avalanche team. They are VERY good for such a young club. They have exceeded everyone’s expectations and are this year’s Cinderella team. But whether you agree or not, the better team has taken control at this point, and the numbers show why. SJ has been dominant offensively, and the SOG reflects that. Unless Anderson stands on his head each and every game, the bigger and tougher (and by your view, slower) SJ club should win. We’ll see if they do. As many of you love to say, the choker rep still follows SJ. And until they at least get into the WCF, it is well deserved.

davidkrabs

Dater I agree entirely with you. The officiating has been terribly one sided.I hate how people don't understand how professional sports actually work. Refs can be biased and one sided. I hate how naieve “fans” don't understand how this is possible. There are any number of reasons why a ref could be baised against a team for example: A wise man once said that no sport on which people bet money is ever on the up and up (so one or more of them could be paid), there's the possible if not exactly plausible Vancouver the NHL is out to get us idea, and then there is just a ref having it for a team.Actions don't lie folks. Rewatch the games the officiating has been horrible. It's obvious. Like Dater said, though, the Sharks have been the better team, and probably would have won the games they won even with better oficiating, but it woudl have been interesting to see how this series would have turned out with legit refs.

Dan G

Sharks fans, you are missing the point. The officiating complaint isn't that the penalties against the Avs are undeserving. Most of them come from chasing the Sharks around which always leads to penalties. The problem with the officiating is that the Sharks deserve a few of their own. It is defending the indefensible to say that McGinn did not deserve a penalty. He had his gloves off and was throwing punches. Also, there is no way the refs didn't see that. If you want to write that off to “well that's playoff hockey,” then there were several penalties against the Avs that could be written off the same way, but were called instead.Also, please note that you booed your team AGAIN last night and it took 3 goals before you were willing to cheer. That building was so quite you would have thought that the Avs were up by 2. You are lame hockey fans who deserve the choke job your team has delivered each year.

Bill

I really hope the AVS go all-offense next game, even if it creates a little more quality chances for the Sharks. I think it would give them a better chance. Trying to shut down gave the Sharks a ton of shots and seemed only affective with out-of-the-ordinary goaltending. They pressed and pinched more in the 3rd yesterday and it showed on that period shot total.Good for Duchene on showing some emotion, maybe a couple more “whiskers” popped for him at the end of the game. But he should definitely keep he's emotions in check towards the refs until (or if) he has a letter on his jersey.Go AVS…. Give them hell 'till the end…..

Chantal Rouleau

Isn’t the best defensive offense ? I agree 100%, let’s attack the Sharks’ zone, but for real. We need the defensemen as well as the forwards to put some pressure on the Sharks and beat the hell out of them. It’s the only way to create something. We have got to play with emotions ! If we stay in the offensive zone we won’t spend as much time in our own end and it will be a relief for everyone !

toddb3

Ridiculous. It would be nice if this series could be decided by the Avs' players and the sharks' players. But when you're missing two of your top four forwards and the refs repeatedly miss high sticks to the face and knee on knee hits, it's too much to overcome. And that “cross-checking” call on Yip was weak at best. I'm starting to think that NBA ref Tim Donaghy is really a shape-shifter whose latest form is a referee in this series.

Anonymous

I note you say nothing of the cross checks not called on McLeod, and the play where Helminen was cross checked as Andreson covered the puck in the second period, or the play where the Avs got away with a high stick along the blue line in the first period — the refs are bad, but the Avs have gotten away with some clear cut infractions too. The penalty ratio if anything is favorable to the Avs if you consider how much time they’ve spent in their own zone, and that you’re much more likely to take an obstruction penalty in your own defending zone. Consider that that Sharks attempted between 250 and 300 shots in games 2-4, meaning they spent most of the game in the Avalanche zone, and drew a grand total of one holding call, and no hooking calls… in the new NHL that is very improbable. If the refs were calling obstruction tight in this series, the Sharks might well have a 70-20 power play edge, given the attack zone time desparity.

Anonymous

Never said the Avs haven’t gotten away with stuff. Just that the sharks have gotten away with a lot more – and a lot worse. As far as the number of shots, do you think it might be different if the number of power plays were reversed? I’m not saying that the Avs deserve to be ahead in the series. I’d just like it to be a level playing field – and it hasn’t been.

Anonymous

-> “As far as the number of shots, do you think it might be different if the number of power plays were reversed?”

Nope, I don’t, to be honest. You’re reversing cause and effect. The Sharks are drawing more penalties because they are carrying the play. That’s usually how it works in hockey. Looking at individual games:

game 2 — Sharks took the first penalty in fact, giving Colorado the first power play. They drew the next three, outshooting the Avs 19-6 in the period. Maybe the power plays exagerrated the first period edge, but, the second and third periods saw the teams trade even numbers of power plays, with the Sharks outshooting Colorado 27-12 over the final two frames, so that can’t be blamed on special teams skew.

game 3 — The sharks had 4 power plays in the second and third period to the Avs none, BUT, the first penalty of the second happened at 8 minutes in, the second at 16 minutes in, and the first penalty of the third at 14 minute mark — in other words the Sharks were already dominating the game before the penalties. The Sharks didn’t suddenly explode for a 42-7 shot edge late in those two periods thanks to power play chances.

game 4 — The teams both finished 1 for 2 on the power play. San Jose outshot the Avs 34-28 in regulation, and 11-6 in OT (there were no power plays in overtime).

game 5 — The Sharks had 2 power plays for the game at 18:54 of the second period — meaning that 35 of the 39 minutes were played even strength. The shots were 12-2 after 1, and 29-11 after two (and I seem to recall the Sharks power play sucking for the last 1:06 after the Hannan double minor).

The bottom line is that since game 1, the Sharks have carried most of the play, regardless of being on the power play or not. When you carry the play, you usually draw more penalties. I’m sorry, I agree that the officiating has been bad, but if this series had been called like the New Jersey vs Philadelphia series (which was called very tight by comparison), I think the Avs would be worse off than they are in this department. In short, the team playing defense usually takes the hooking and holding calls, and the Avs have been playing in Andersons end most of the time this series.

Ramon

It was the fourth game of the series where the Avs were cheated by the f**cking refs!Yesterday the Sharks had a total of 16 minutes powerplay! That is almost a period! The Avs get their powerplays when the game was over. But the refs were obviously aware that it was too obvious that they they totally ripped off the Avs – thats why they called two PP for the Avs at the end…F*** the NHL! Bunch of cheaters!

Ramon

It was the fourth game of the series where the Avs were cheated by the f**cking refs!Yesterday the Sharks had a total of 16 minutes powerplay! That is almost a period! The Avs get their powerplays when the game was over. But the refs were obviously aware that it was too obvious that they they totally ripped off the Avs – thats why they called two PP for the Avs at the end…F*** the NHL! Bunch of cheaters!

Ramon

BTW: @ Avs tough guys: His name is McGinn.

Ramon

BTW: @ Avs tough guys: His name is McGinn.

Bill

The thing with the penalty calling issues is that if it's in fact true, you're not helping yourself by complaining about it. The Coach and Captain can let the refs know their concerns in a civilised manner. Remember when Anderson was up in arms after contacts (wich were getting too much, i know, but the players should of done something to stop this, but that's another story), he just got called a couple of times afterwards in a form of referee retaliation. He then calmed down, and got more calls his way. Goes to show that you better just be extra careful and work even harder and things should turn around.

Bill

The thing with the penalty calling issues is that if it's in fact true, you're not helping yourself by complaining about it. The Coach and Captain can let the refs know their concerns in a civilised manner. Remember when Anderson was up in arms after contacts (wich were getting too much, i know, but the players should of done something to stop this, but that's another story), he just got called a couple of times afterwards in a form of referee retaliation. He then calmed down, and got more calls his way. Goes to show that you better just be extra careful and work even harder and things should turn around.

mikewofsey

San Jose is far more balanced and potent than Detroit. There is barely a basis for comparison. And although San Jose is getting a bit older, it's nothing compared to Detroit, which is desperately in need of a reload, though we won't see that for at least two more seasons.And I'm not sure Detroit will even see the second round, Phoenix is making a very solid case against that. The only team in the West that I see that has the ability to stop San Jose right now is Nashville, because their defense is built to handle a team like S.J..Regardless, last night's game was painful, but we still have one more, and our Avs aren't done yet. We can take the next one.

dghc

It isn't just the youth of the team, but also the coaching. 1.)The Avs spend most of the game looking for mouse holes along the boards. 2.) They play “dump-and-chase” almost continuously – a college game. 3.) Their passing is as crisp as 10-day old lettuce – a lack of fundamentals execution.4.) The area in front of the opponent's net is obviously a quarantine zone. 5.)They miss receiving a lot of passes because they keep only the heel of the stick on the ice. Suggestion: take a stopwatch and measure the total amount to man-seconds the opponents have a player in front of our net, versus the other way around.

Objective Sharks Fan

Quit whining. Your team needs to play better to win. Listen to Av Hendricks interview. He tells it like it is – Sharks forcing agressive play in Avs defensive end is the reason for lopsided penalties.

Chantal Rouleau

You are right. The Sharks are forcing the play much more than we are ! We can’t blame everything on the refereeing.

Kyle

Who the fuck is Travis McGinn? Your accuracy is worse than your objectivity apparently.

Objective Sharks Fan

The reason the Sharks are entering the Avs zone so easily is because of the Avs deep forecheck in the Sharks defensive zone. The Avs are sending two and sometimes three players deep into the Sharks zone and the Sharks are beating the forecheck. That means that the Avs defensemen don't have help to protect the Avs defensive zone, thus the easy entry.

Anonymous

I agree with you. The Sharks are easily beating the Avs forecheck most of the time. I admire the Avs attacking mentality and hate to endorse a neutral zone trap. Nonetheless, the Avs need to slow the Sharks down through center ice and their “attack” is only generating 15-20 shots per game anyway.

As I said before, the Avs defensive zone coverage has been lousy. I think it was the Sharks first goal last night (maybe the second? Couture?), the Avs had 3 men back but they weren’t covering anyone. Two Sharks were high in the zone uncontested and one was alone in front. The 3 Avs defenders were standing in a straight line between them doing nothing. Not gonna win many games like that.

Objective Sharks Fan

lordstanley – now we have some really good and objective analysis here; good job; you need to hope your Avs coaches are seeing it and fixing it if the series is to change in their favor. As a Sharks fan though, I hope hey don’t. Enjoy.

Chantla Rouleau

If only what we are seeing could be called forechecking, but we are not making any pressure the way we do things. We are not getting in the zone quick enough and soon enough and faking a chase against a player and then starting skating after we get behind the player is not much of a forecheck to me. We are very bad at our forchecking technique.

MetalSharks

Yo Adrian…Not only are you a hypocrite, but you're a lousy reporter. The name is JAMIE McGinn, not TRAVIS. Do you not pay attention to the roster sheets they give you in the press box at the beginning of the game that tells you who's scratched?!? Travis? Is that some country singer in Denver?? Go back to watching figure skating or synchronized swimming. Obviously hockey is too much of a man's game for you to handle. Whaa Whaaaa…What kind of cheese do you like? I'll send you some after the series is over.

MetalSharks

Yo Adrian…Not only are you a hypocrite, but you're a lousy reporter. The name is JAMIE McGinn, not TRAVIS. Do you not pay attention to the roster sheets they give you in the press box at the beginning of the game that tells you who's scratched?!? Travis? Is that some country singer in Denver?? Go back to watching figure skating or synchronized swimming. Obviously hockey is too much of a man's game for you to handle. Whaa Whaaaa…What kind of cheese do you like? I'll send you some after the series is over.

Kyle

He's too busy cowering under his Bose headphones to read the rosters.

Kyle

He's too busy cowering under his Bose headphones to read the rosters.

jimbo

He hit him in the back of his head with his stick, held with both hands. How is that a “weak” cross-check call?

Anonymous

Because he barely touched him. I’ve seen much worse hits overlooked in this series.

jimbo

He hit him in the back of his head with his stick, held with both hands. How is that a “weak” cross-check call?

royisgod

I just wish we fans could act like we've been to the playoffs before. We can talk about calls all we want but they are going to get them when the game is in their zone. Kudos to Dater for pointing out McLeods cross check on Murray. Thats not homer reporting. I think the call on Scotty was BS to get the extra duce, but he wasn't releasing when the refs were trying to get control and you could see they were warning him in the scrum. McLeod's penalty on McGin for charging was also BS for 5, but should have been two. But if we were watching the game, he could have been given 2 other minors on the shift previous and that one. The refs were trying to keep the game from getting out of control and they had enough with his game. Its playoff hockey and the refs aren't calling every foul they are trying to manage carnage. When we play in their zone, we will get calls but the calls are 2:1 against because thats about the difference between their zone time and ours. Like Sacco said post game, we got what we deserved. No go out and win game 6 and even it up.

Shrk2th

Thank you Royisgod for bringing some civility and smart discussion into this forum. I agree with everytihng you said including the double minor to McLeod for the hit.

Chantal Rouleau

Very good point ! We really got what we deserved last night ! The whinning is for crying babies !

royisgod

I just wish we fans could act like we've been to the playoffs before. We can talk about calls all we want but they are going to get them when the game is in their zone. Kudos to Dater for pointing out McLeods cross check on Murray. Thats not homer reporting. I think the call on Scotty was BS to get the extra duce, but he wasn't releasing when the refs were trying to get control and you could see they were warning him in the scrum. McLeod's penalty on McGin for charging was also BS for 5, but should have been two. But if we were watching the game, he could have been given 2 other minors on the shift previous and that one. The refs were trying to keep the game from getting out of control and they had enough with his game. Its playoff hockey and the refs aren't calling every foul they are trying to manage carnage. When we play in their zone, we will get calls but the calls are 2:1 against because thats about the difference between their zone time and ours. Like Sacco said post game, we got what we deserved. No go out and win game 6 and even it up.

royisgod

I just wish we fans could act like we've been to the playoffs before. We can talk about calls all we want but they are going to get them when the game is in their zone. Kudos to Dater for pointing out McLeods cross check on Murray. Thats not homer reporting. I think the call on Scotty was BS to get the extra duce, but he wasn't releasing when the refs were trying to get control and you could see they were warning him in the scrum. McLeod's penalty on McGin for charging was also BS for 5, but should have been two. But if we were watching the game, he could have been given 2 other minors on the shift previous and that one. The refs were trying to keep the game from getting out of control and they had enough with his game. Its playoff hockey and the refs aren't calling every foul they are trying to manage carnage. When we play in their zone, we will get calls but the calls are 2:1 against because thats about the difference between their zone time and ours. Like Sacco said post game, we got what we deserved. No go out and win game 6 and even it up.

royisgod

I just wish we fans could act like we've been to the playoffs before. We can talk about calls all we want but they are going to get them when the game is in their zone. Kudos to Dater for pointing out McLeods cross check on Murray. Thats not homer reporting. I think the call on Scotty was BS to get the extra duce, but he wasn't releasing when the refs were trying to get control and you could see they were warning him in the scrum. McLeod's penalty on McGin for charging was also BS for 5, but should have been two. But if we were watching the game, he could have been given 2 other minors on the shift previous and that one. The refs were trying to keep the game from getting out of control and they had enough with his game. Its playoff hockey and the refs aren't calling every foul they are trying to manage carnage. When we play in their zone, we will get calls but the calls are 2:1 against because thats about the difference between their zone time and ours. Like Sacco said post game, we got what we deserved. No go out and win game 6 and even it up.

Objective Sharks Fan

Royisgod – cudos to you. Your analysis is accurate and without bias. Your support for your team is realistic, not emotional. That last game is over so you have shifted to game 6, just like your Av players are doing.

jimbo

Congratulations, Dater. You've looked at an entire 60 minutes of hockey, and found one call that the refs got wrong. This is the hockey equivalent of “discovering” a tree in a forest. And I'm not sure which scoresheet you're looking at, but Jamie (AKA Travis) McGinn DID get penalized along with Hannan, 2 for roughing. Pretty poor reporting there.Few have argued that the officiating has been good… but why do you continue to argue that it's been unfair to the Avs? There's a reason the Avs have been the more penalized team this series: because they've committed the most penalties! If you think some Sharks fan couldn't go through that game and find ten instances where the Avs committed a penalty but it wasn't called, you're nuts. The officiating hasn't been great, but it hasn't been lopsided.

Dater are you sure the Avs are getting bad calls or do you think you might just not understand what's happening? A writer publishing a story about McGinn getting “NOTHING” when in reality he got 2 minutes for roughing is kind of lame, sort of discredits your whole argument when one of the scathing examples you use to support your argument is false.

Bradley

Dater are you sure the Avs are getting bad calls or do you think you might just not understand what's happening? A writer publishing a story about McGinn getting “NOTHING” when in reality he got 2 minutes for roughing is kind of lame, sort of discredits your whole argument when one of the scathing examples you use to support your argument is false.

Bradley

Dater are you sure the Avs are getting bad calls or do you think you might just not understand what's happening? A writer publishing a story about McGinn getting “NOTHING” when in reality he got 2 minutes for roughing is kind of lame, sort of discredits your whole argument when one of the scathing examples you use to support your argument is false.

Bradley

Dater are you sure the Avs are getting bad calls or do you think you might just not understand what's happening? A writer publishing a story about McGinn getting “NOTHING” when in reality he got 2 minutes for roughing is kind of lame, sort of discredits your whole argument when one of the scathing examples you use to support your argument is false.

jimbo

That's a pretty good analysis royisgod. I just watched the Hannan thing again, and while I'm still not sure how the Sharks got a PP out of the whole deal, I think your take on Hannan is right… the refs were warning him (he was definitely not playing the “peacemaker”), and well after that he gave the guy another pop in the face.I think that McLeod probably got 5 for charging because as you said, he'd been running around after people since the beginning of the period. It should probably have been a 2 minute penalty, but way McLeod was playing, the refs were watching him extra closely. He may have just pushed his luck too far there.

Bradley

16 minutes of powerplays? Please allow me to break down one of the fundamentals of hockey 101. If the refs call a penalty on both teams, and both teams have a player in the box, then neither team is on the power play. You can't simply add up all the penalty minutes on the box score and say that's how long the Sharks were on the powerplay.

Bradley

16 minutes of powerplays? Please allow me to break down one of the fundamentals of hockey 101. If the refs call a penalty on both teams, and both teams have a player in the box, then neither team is on the power play. You can't simply add up all the penalty minutes on the box score and say that's how long the Sharks were on the powerplay.

jimbo

McGinn did get a penalty. Honestly, was anybody actually watching the game? Or failing that, has nobody bothered to check the scoresheet? It's right there in black and white.

Officiating? The avs played like crap last night and it had nothing to do with the calls. It seems like they're back to “squeezing the sticks” and playing on autopiliot… Dump the puck, loose the battle down low, hurry back to try and block shots for remainder of shift. Rinse and repeat.They need to open up the play and try and get some goals in the transition. SJ is too big and strong to be playin the dump and chase… I'd like to see them start using their speed and skate the puck inIf you watched last nights game and came out concerned with the refs I think you missed something…

Chantal Rouleau

Very good point too. I hate this type of dump and chase game and you are right, we don’t have the size to play this style of play especially against a team like San Jose. Look at a guy like Patrick Kane, he is small, not the most physical guy but he carries the puck in, keeps it simple and is always able to make a play out of nothing. Duchene could do just the same, and even though he simplified his game a little bit last night, he still tried to do too much on his own and it resulted in turnovers.

Chongolisous

Officiating? The avs played like crap last night and it had nothing to do with the calls. It seems like they're back to “squeezing the sticks” and playing on autopiliot… Dump the puck, loose the battle down low, hurry back to try and block shots for remainder of shift. Rinse and repeat.They need to open up the play and try and get some goals in the transition. SJ is too big and strong to be playin the dump and chase… I'd like to see them start using their speed and skate the puck inIf you watched last nights game and came out concerned with the refs I think you missed something…

Chongolisous

Officiating? The avs played like crap last night and it had nothing to do with the calls. It seems like they're back to “squeezing the sticks” and playing on autopiliot… Dump the puck, loose the battle down low, hurry back to try and block shots for remainder of shift. Rinse and repeat.They need to open up the play and try and get some goals in the transition. SJ is too big and strong to be playin the dump and chase… I'd like to see them start using their speed and skate the puck inIf you watched last nights game and came out concerned with the refs I think you missed something…

Chongolisous

“Pretty poor reporting there.”He's going off of what he can gather from his still firing brain cells, not off of what he can gather from a spreadsheet

Chongolisous

“Pretty poor reporting there.”He's going off of what he can gather from his still firing brain cells, not off of what he can gather from a spreadsheet

Chongolisous

“Pretty poor reporting there.”He's going off of what he can gather from his still firing brain cells, not off of what he can gather from a spreadsheet

TheSandman

Wow, cry me a river. I've never read such a whiny, sour grapes article before. How about we talk about how Foote and Hannan deserve interference calls every time they step on the ice? The Sharks drew most of the penalties because of their relentless pressure in the Avs zone……and if Lady Duchene had the gonads to drop his gloves, Hannan would have been tossed for 3rd man instead of just getting an extra 2.

TheSandman

Wow, cry me a river. I've never read such a whiny, sour grapes article before. How about we talk about how Foote and Hannan deserve interference calls every time they step on the ice? The Sharks drew most of the penalties because of their relentless pressure in the Avs zone……and if Lady Duchene had the gonads to drop his gloves, Hannan would have been tossed for 3rd man instead of just getting an extra 2.

TheSandman

Wow, cry me a river. I've never read such a whiny, sour grapes article before. How about we talk about how Foote and Hannan deserve interference calls every time they step on the ice? The Sharks drew most of the penalties because of their relentless pressure in the Avs zone……and if Lady Duchene had the gonads to drop his gloves, Hannan would have been tossed for 3rd man instead of just getting an extra 2.

Bill

I'd rather see them losing 6-3 than still trying to stop San Jose and win a one goal game. They should fire with all they've got and see what happens.

Bill

I'd rather see them losing 6-3 than still trying to stop San Jose and win a one goal game. They should fire with all they've got and see what happens.

Chongolisous

Thats not being a sally thats being smart. you'll never see duchene drop the gloves

Chongolisous

Thats not being a sally thats being smart. you'll never see duchene drop the gloves

al

Oh well. The dream was fun while it lasted, right?Congrats to the Sharks who finally showed up against a team they were supposed to decimate in four. They will go on to win the series. The Avs are done, and last night proved it.But to all the San Jose fans out there, consider this: look how much trouble the Sharks had with the lowly 8th seed. What do you think will happen when they play a real contender?

SHARK FAN

Avs fan – I'd like to thank your team for participating in the Stanley Cup playoffs, you should b proud to have taken it to six games and you should salute your team in defeat after the Sharks wrap it up Saturday at your building.Looks like the Sharks have finally gotten into your team's head, what with all the crybaby stuff about the refs and those mean and nasty Sharks taking cheap shots on your guys

SHARK FAN

Avs fan – I'd like to thank your team for participating in the Stanley Cup playoffs, you should b proud to have taken it to six games and you should salute your team in defeat after the Sharks wrap it up Saturday at your building.Looks like the Sharks have finally gotten into your team's head, what with all the crybaby stuff about the refs and those mean and nasty Sharks taking cheap shots on your guys

Bill

You probably meant in Dater's head…..

Chongolisous

Predictions are the most useless and plentiful thing in sports

JeffK

Meanwhile, San Jose’s Travis McGinn started to PUNCH Avs rookie Matt Duchene, not just once but a few times.McLeod tried to go after McGinn, but was held back by the refs. Hannan was still trying to act as peacemaker, never once throwing a punch of cross-checking anybody.So what happens: Hannan gets FOUR MINUTES for roughing. McLeod, who started the whole thing, got nothing. McGinn, who was essentially a third-man-in and clear-as-day threw punches against Matt Duchene, got NOTHING. The Sharks got a two-minute power play out of the whole day. Maybe that was the just result after McLeod’s initial cross check, but McLeod never was penalized, innocent Hannan was penalized twice as much as anybody and a guy who threw punches against an innocent rookie got off scot free.We don't have anyone on the Sharks named Travis McGinn (nice reporting hack) JAMIE McGinn got two minutes and Hannan, who did throw punches and finished off the altercation with a major league face wash after the play was basically over (which probably drew the extra two minutes) MacLeod, as you stated should have gotten a penalty, but didn't so the end result would have been the same so stop whining. As for the rest of the game, which penalty did you disagree with? Holding the stick? When the Sharks player has the opportunity to clear the puck under duress and you grab his stick to prevent it, what would you call that? How about the 5 minute boarding? Got a problem with that? Or the interference when after misplaying the puck the Avs defenseman stuck his butt out to cut the Shark player off, again all pretty clear obvious and correct calls I'd say.

JeffK

I should also mention that McLeod had his gloves off at the end of that scrum as well. He probably should have gotten at least 2 minutes for roughing (something that is usually called when you drop your gloves) but wasn't. If you add the four minutes that McLeod should have gotten and subtract one of the Hannan two's, you still come out behind. By the way, McLeod is writing checks with his mouth, next game he'd better be able to back them up. No more turtling.

Strong_on_the_puck

Good article Dater. I fully agree.However, while the refs are obviously favoring the Sharks, there was an obvious call against the Avs that I can't believe they didn't make. There it was plain as day… Using his face, Duchene repeatedly punched McGinn in his gloved fist. Duchene and the Avs got off lucky on that one.Yes maybe the Sharks are the better team. So you wouldn't think they would need much help from the refs. Still the refs seem hell bent on giving them the calls they need to get the job done. McNab and Haynes have too much class to state the obvious. I have a ton of respect for them. At the beginning of the game a ticky tack call was made against the Avs, and one of them commented something like “you can tell the refs will be calling this one tight tonight.” Us watching the game from home thought “Yeah right. Tight calls on the Avs again” That's how it played out once again.Sharks and Refs lead the series 3 games to 2.

Cosmo

Yes. You ARE a homer. Maybe if you concentrated on “Journalism” (remember that?) as opposed to standing up for your “fair-hair lads” you could actually get your facts stright… Who's “Travis McGinn”?You think there's no correlation between time of possession and amount of penalties drawn? (you might want to look into that…)

Cosmo

Yes. You ARE a homer. Maybe if you concentrated on “Journalism” (remember that?) as opposed to standing up for your “fair-hair lads” you could actually get your facts stright… Who's “Travis McGinn”?You think there's no correlation between time of possession and amount of penalties drawn? (you might want to look into that…)

Cosmo

Yes. You ARE a homer. Maybe if you concentrated on “Journalism” (remember that?) as opposed to standing up for your “fair-hair lads” you could actually get your facts stright… Who's “Travis McGinn”?You think there's no correlation between time of possession and amount of penalties drawn? (you might want to look into that…)

Chongolisous

are you familiar with mcloud?

Chongolisous

are you familiar with mcloud?

Jeffk

I see words “Strong on the puck” but all I read is wah wah wah.

Jeffk

I see words “Strong on the puck” but all I read is wah wah wah.

twocupsmenocupsyou

LOL! I feel sorry for Sharks fan! Here in their epic moment, they are beating up on the 8th seed, their fans taking exception to the complaints of the refs calls, and no one can see where its leading next! Such struggle for redemption against the young upstart Avs! Its laughable how the human interest story is focusing on a guy who scores on his own team. How their number one line has broken through because Marleou somehow managed to score in game five somehow! Its pathetic! Trolls have nothing better to do than to beat down on the 8th seed? Get a life, SJ trolls!

Shrk2th

Does rooting for SJ and having a different opinion from you make me a troll?

This is not our epic moment. Please.

As I said earlier, you r team looks good. I don’t think Colorado would have ended up as the 8th seed if Anderson wasn’t so tired in his post-Olympic run. I do think the Av’s are for real. And their future does indeed look very bright.

Anonymous

This is your epic moment! Check out the media! SJ Sharks must win this series for redemption! Pretty much explains why all the trolls are here! Do you even live in the bay area?

Shrk2th

Yes, I do live in the Bay Area.

Good luck in game 6. I hope all the penalties are even, and may there be no fluky bounces…

twocupsmenocupsyou

LOL! I feel sorry for Sharks fan! Here in their epic moment, they are beating up on the 8th seed, their fans taking exception to the complaints of the refs calls, and no one can see where its leading next! Such struggle for redemption against the young upstart Avs! Its laughable how the human interest story is focusing on a guy who scores on his own team. How their number one line has broken through because Marleou somehow managed to score in game five somehow! Its pathetic! Trolls have nothing better to do than to beat down on the 8th seed? Get a life, SJ trolls!

Marc Ragusin

I'm as big an Avs as they come, but I'm a hockey fan first. After watching this series (and all the other series as well) I feel the officiating has been one sided. I'd say almost every penalty against the Avs has been in fact a penalty, but the Sharks have been given a lot more leeway in my opinion. I don't think it would have changed anything in this series though. The Avs powerplay sucked all year long and only got a little better when they acquired Mueller, once he got injured it was back to lousy. It woulda been the same in this series as well. The Sharks are definitely the better team and deserve to get to the 2nd round. The avs have had a fun season with some sweet memories (Sakic night, Duchene's shootout goal against Van, and Andy's big night in game 3) that were completely unexpected. Avs fans just need to be grateful for what we've gotten this year, get pumped for the future, and stop sounding like Canucks' fans.

Marc Ragusin

I'm as big an Avs as they come, but I'm a hockey fan first. After watching this series (and all the other series as well) I feel the officiating has been one sided. I'd say almost every penalty against the Avs has been in fact a penalty, but the Sharks have been given a lot more leeway in my opinion. I don't think it would have changed anything in this series though. The Avs powerplay sucked all year long and only got a little better when they acquired Mueller, once he got injured it was back to lousy. It woulda been the same in this series as well. The Sharks are definitely the better team and deserve to get to the 2nd round. The avs have had a fun season with some sweet memories (Sakic night, Duchene's shootout goal against Van, and Andy's big night in game 3) that were completely unexpected. Avs fans just need to be grateful for what we've gotten this year, get pumped for the future, and stop sounding like Canucks' fans.

Marc Ragusin

I'm as big an Avs as they come, but I'm a hockey fan first. After watching this series (and all the other series as well) I feel the officiating has been one sided. I'd say almost every penalty against the Avs has been in fact a penalty, but the Sharks have been given a lot more leeway in my opinion. I don't think it would have changed anything in this series though. The Avs powerplay sucked all year long and only got a little better when they acquired Mueller, once he got injured it was back to lousy. It woulda been the same in this series as well. The Sharks are definitely the better team and deserve to get to the 2nd round. The avs have had a fun season with some sweet memories (Sakic night, Duchene's shootout goal against Van, and Andy's big night in game 3) that were completely unexpected. Avs fans just need to be grateful for what we've gotten this year, get pumped for the future, and stop sounding like Canucks' fans.

Marc Ragusin

I'm as big an Avs as they come, but I'm a hockey fan first. After watching this series (and all the other series as well) I feel the officiating has been one sided. I'd say almost every penalty against the Avs has been in fact a penalty, but the Sharks have been given a lot more leeway in my opinion. I don't think it would have changed anything in this series though. The Avs powerplay sucked all year long and only got a little better when they acquired Mueller, once he got injured it was back to lousy. It woulda been the same in this series as well. The Sharks are definitely the better team and deserve to get to the 2nd round. The avs have had a fun season with some sweet memories (Sakic night, Duchene's shootout goal against Van, and Andy's big night in game 3) that were completely unexpected. Avs fans just need to be grateful for what we've gotten this year, get pumped for the future, and stop sounding like Canucks' fans.

Andrew

Can someone please answer me why Jones was listed as “maybe” for the final game of the regular season but still hasnt played 2 weeks later?

twocupsmenocupsyou

And thank you Shark Fan! We enjoy playing most years and winning a couple ourselves. Hope you enjoyed yours as well….oh wait…San Jose has never one a Stanley? Well its a good feeling, gotta tell you!

Jeffk

Oh yeah, I know McLeod. He was the guy running all over the place hitting guys from behind and cheapshotting Murray in to Nabokov hoping to hurt the Sharks goalie (might I add, after the whistle as well) who was challenged on the bench by Clowe and turned his back and pretended like he didn’t hear him. McLeod is a goon with minimal hockey skills out there trying to hurt people. If the Sharks get a another big lead next game, someone will be looking for him. The question is, will he answer the bell?

JML

Excellent question.I also like the upcoming shape of the Avs. Mueller blasting from the point with Jones in front of the net.

JML

Excellent question.I also like the upcoming shape of the Avs. Mueller blasting from the point with Jones in front of the net.

twocupsmenocupsyou

Its a blog dude! Get over it! Sheesh! Are all frontrunners this sensitive? Someone get Cosmo a tissue!

Shrk2th

Well Al, your low opinion of SJ might not be wrong. We'll see I guess, given our past track record. But I think you give your Av's too little credit. They have played well, especially game 1. But of course the true hero is Anderson. He has been amazing and kept evry game a 1 goal difference. He is the MVP for sure in this series.

Jeffk! You crack me up! Now tell me, are you happy with this series, or does it leave you wanting? Sheesh, why is it that the Sharks always have to struggle so much with the 8th seed? LOL! Not like you are even talking semi finals or even western confernce trash! its the first round and you are already struggling!

shrk2th

Agreed.

Shrk2th

You're right. SJ hasn't won anything meaningful. Right now, the Sharks are just looking at Game 6 however and not looking past the Avalanche.I admire what Colorado fans have enjoyed from their first year as the former Nordiques. Wow. Talk about lucky fans…

StompTrolls

Yep, very lucky fans here indeed. Can’t help but admire what shark fans have enjoyed in the regular season these past few years though. All those WC Regular Season Champ Flags do look nice in the Tank’s rafters. I can’t believe how many shark fans are trolling around on a Denver Post website. And Shrk2th this isn’t directed at you in particular, but is posted here because of your smart ass comment, but all the shark fans calling out the city of Denver take a walk outside to downtown San Jose, it’s an industrial park.

Shrk2th

I agree: those flags are meaningless. Who cares about WC Championships unless winning the big silver trophy follows it. The comment about “lucky fans” was abreviated because I was late for work and had to shove off. I wasn’t being a smart ass…sorry if you took it as such. I’m a fan who has been rooting for a team since 1991 that has nothing to show for it. The Av’s have what…2 or 3 trophies right? I’m simply jealous. There. I admit it.

Game 6 should be fierce. You just know the Av’s will play their best game yet with their backs to the wall.

StompTrolls

In light of this comment, I apologize for taking a shot at your team. No hard feelings I hope. As fans of hockey in general I think we can both look forward to a good game tomorrow night, regardless of who comes up on top.

shrk2th

Agreed.

Shrk2th

You're right. SJ hasn't won anything meaningful. Right now, the Sharks are just looking at Game 6 however and not looking past the Avalanche.I admire what Colorado fans have enjoyed from their first year as the former Nordiques. Wow. Talk about lucky fans…

Chongolisous

The only skill hes got is answering the bell

Chongolisous

The only skill hes got is answering the bell

twocupsmenocupsyou

LMAO! Jeffk! the question is “Does San Jose have a very expensive first line, thats invisible?” the answer is, “yes” Dude, get a grip! You come on here whinning all the time, yet you never have anything to show for it! Do you even watch the games, or do you get all your news from the Denver post! HA HA! Nice!

twocupsmenocupsyou

LMAO! Jeffk! the question is “Does San Jose have a very expensive first line, thats invisible?” the answer is, “yes” Dude, get a grip! You come on here whinning all the time, yet you never have anything to show for it! Do you even watch the games, or do you get all your news from the Denver post! HA HA! Nice!

Bill

Dater has to realize that beating this dead horse endlessly (refereeing, not that attendance thing) his only making the AVS and their fans seem like a bunch of whiners who can't be objective or don't know much about hockey since he's the team's/city's reporter. Although the games haven't been ref'd perfectly, they haven't been game deciding calls like the Vancouver OT too many men call or as bad as Dater makes them out to be.Here's something I think is quite objective….Ref's in the series 7.5/10.Dater's reporting 4/10. (and I may be generous)I'd suggest working on what could actually change.

Kisio

McGinn DID get a penalty. Dude, did you even watch the game? You don't know his name, you've got no clue as to what the penalties were…. your panties were so twisted up in a bunch about officiating that it seems you missed the actual game. You know, 5-0? The Avs should be embarrassed with their lack of effort after it was 2-0. THAT'S the real story.

twocupsmenocupsyou

The real story here is how the Sharks are able to compete with the 8th seed in the west! Thats the story! I mean, as a Sharks fan, how does that make you feel?

Objective Sharks Fan

Throwing almost 50 shots at the goalie each game, and sometimes more makes Sharks fans feel like they are indeed playing the 8th seed in the playoffs.

twocupsmenocupsyou

Dater is just fine, quit trolling, it makes you look like a baby, Bill!

twocupsmenocupsyou

Dater is just fine, quit trolling, it makes you look like a baby, Bill!

Jeffk

You know what cracks me up pal? How the Avs fans have gone from being cocky and telling the Sharks fans how they were going to knock the Sharks out in the first round to “the refs are against us, we’ve got injuries, you guys are mean and are hitting our guys, we are all rookies, and you should be beating us if you’re so great” etc. The Sharks are winning, the Avs fans are whining. I’ve got one word for you and your team “FORE!!!”

Anonymous

Fore? LOL! Frontrunner, go home! Nice to see how your boys struggled all series long with the 8th seed! Sounds like you are ready for some golf, PAL! LOL! Dude, You do realize Im just messing with you! Lighten up! Baby SJ Troll., trying to find redemption on the Denver website, while hating on your own team in the Mercury News!

Jeffk

You know what cracks me up pal? How the Avs fans have gone from being cocky and telling the Sharks fans how they were going to knock the Sharks out in the first round to “the refs are against us, we’ve got injuries, you guys are mean and are hitting our guys, we are all rookies, and you should be beating us if you’re so great” etc. The Sharks are winning, the Avs fans are whining. I’ve got one word for you and your team “FORE!!!”

408Marleau12

Jamie McGinn actually got 2 minutes for roughing. So he did get a penalty. Obviously your beat writer didn't watch the right game. Its pretty sad that you have to blame the officiating for a loss when the better team gets a very well deserved win. Face it… the Sharks skated circles around the Avalanche, they showed to be the #1 team that they are, broke through the supposed “trap” type of game that the Avalanche try to play and continued their dominance in the series, and Candy Andy Anderson isn't as much of a wall as y'all would really like to think (facing over 35+ shots per game will do that to a goaltender). The crap that is posted here on this blog is absolutely ridiculous. Have some class, give credit where credit is due and own up to defeat. The Sharks have rookies on their team as well and I believe that 2 of those rookies combined for 3 goals last night. Face it, it's not about the officiating, there have been MANY missed calls, the Sharks are just a better, faster, and stronger team. They are going to draw more penalties because they are much more skilled.

LeftWingLuke

“They DID give a four-minute minor to Scott Hannan, who, for all I saw, was just trying to act as a peacemaker, trying to grab someone and calm them down.”For all you know he was trying to sell chapstick to the people in the front row. You've already decided that he was in there saying, “Hey, man, mellow out. It's, like, okay and we should all chill and be friends.” That's fine for you to assume, but you have to acknowledge that you weren't on the ice and don't actually know what was going on.I wasn't down there either, but it seemed pretty clear to me that the ref had told Hannan to back down and that he wasn't going to. Hannan also had his gloves off, as evidenced by the bare hand he put in McGinn's face when he pushed off, so there's a potential instigator call. Since Hannan's a Dman, that means him being down in a scrum and off the line when he wasn't pinching on a play makes him a potential third man in. Scotty didn't get dinged for any of those, though, because the refs were using their judgment, as they should. There is leeway to a lot of rules, and that's part of any fast paced game.However, refs generally expect players to cut it out when they say cut it out, and Hannan wasn't going to. So the ref had to make a decision: If he doesn't do something about it, it's going to keep escalating, and the next scrum is going to get even punchier, and then when somebody actually gets hurt and they hand out a penalty they're going to get an earful from the coaches about how the other team got away with X but now suddenly they're calling things.So the ref made a call to try and slow the stupid stuff down. He weighed his options, conferred with the other refs, and made the call. And for the most part it worked, although it didn't stop McCleod from running around and earning himself a major.I wasn't down there, either, and the ref may in fact have it in for Hannan. But you're going off of an assumption that's based on your team being right and honest and true and the refs being idiots. I don't buy that.All that said, I'm enjoying this series and glad it's against the Avs. Great, great team with a really bright future. I'd love to see Galiardi in teal, but if the Avs front office knows anything they have him locked up to a very long contract. He's been a real star and plays hard every single shift. Anyone who thought the Avs would be an easy out clearly hadn't watched any of their games this season. I always feel like a good series is one where you would be okay with your team losing, and the first 4 games of this series were absolutely that.

Bill

I'm an pretty big AVS fan. I just think Dater should be more objective, less emotional, and get his facts straight.

Dan G

So dropping your gloves and throwing haymakers is 2 minutes for roughing, but grabbing the guy's jersey is 4 minstes for roughing? Did Paul Stewart come out of retirement last night? This is our problem with the call. You drop your gloves and throw punches, that's got to 4 mins for roughing, or 5 mins for fighting. It wasn't a face wash. It wasn't the usual pushing and shoving. He threw bare handed punches at a guys head. The Avs have been put on the pk for typical post whistle rough-housing and the Sharks have not.BTW, the Sharks are the better team and I love the experience our youngs guys are getting playing them. Those lucky goals mean nothing if the game isn't tied. You have to give credit to this team for that. As fans we are getting so much more out of this series than we ever expected. It's competative and feisty. Too much fun. Hope game 6 is close, win or lose.

jimbo

If you drop your gloves and throw a couple punches, that’s two minutes for roughing. It has to escalate quite a bit to become a 5 for fighting, and it didn’t get that far, not even close. LIttle tussles like that happen all the time, and matching minors is usually the result.

Mgcinn got two for roughing Duchene (I don’t care what the “play-by-play” account says, he didn’t rough Hannan at all, he roughed Duchnene), and Hannan got two for roughing McGinn. I didn’t see McGinn take a swing at Hannan, but Hannan definitely laid a couple on McGinn, way more than just “grabbing a jersey.” Then, as they were hugging and the refs were right there warning them to knock it off, Hannan did something stupid, and hit McGinn in the face again. There, I think, was the extra 2:00 to Hannan.

I don’t like the call, but I definitely understand how it could have happened from the ref’s point of view. I think the refs could have called that incident better, but I also have to blame Hannan a little bit, for doing something so stupid and obvious that the ref couldn’t really let it go.

Jeffk

The real story here is how the Sharks are able to compete with the 8th seed in the west! Thats the story! I mean, as a Sharks fan, how does that make you feel?Ask the New Jersey Devils who lost to a 7th seed who didn’t have their two top players healthy the last two games (Carter and Gagne) I don’t see Philly fans whining about the officiating or injuries, do you?Montreal, the 8th seed in the East is giving Washington a run for their money too. Why? Parity. The best team in the NHL and the worst team in the NHL playoffs are not that far apart. 7 out of 8 teams in the West had 100pt. The Avs were only a few points short of 100. Are the Sharks clearing the best team in the West? No, but they did have the best record and earned the #1 seed. After that it’s 16 deserving teams fighting it out for the Cup. The Avs are making a great run, playing fantastic hockey and Anderson deserves all the kudos that he is receiving but eventually the cream rises to the top and that is what you are seeing in this series. Full credit to the Avs. I fully expect them to be back in the playoffs for years to come. Someone asked how does it feel to beat the Avs? (assuming they do) IT FEELS GREAT. What you guys don’t understand is that belittling the Sharks accomplishments, you are belittling your OWN TEAMS efforts. Weird isn’t it?

Bill

If Galiardi switched to the Sharks after this series, there'd probably be a couple of akward smiles in the Sharks dressing room :)

Jeffk

Ok. Let’s break it down in an alternate version. Hannan gets two for roughing he threw several punches including one after the linesman had broken up the scrum.McGinn gets four for roughingMcLeod (who also had his gloves off and was throwing punches) gets two for roughing and two for the crosscheck that started the whole melee’ (total 4 minutes)End result? The Avs get six minutes, the Sharks four minutes. The Sharks STILL get a two minute power play. Now, if you want to be fair and consistent that is the way it should have been called. Unless you are suggesting that Hannan and McLeod shouldn’t have gotten any penalties?

pedroforsbergo

I have a hard time believing that anyone who has declared him/herself a fan of a specific sports team can be 100% objective. We all know objectivity is easier when there’s no rooting interest which is inherent in the definition of the word. Any Avs/Sharks fan who claims him/herself to be completely objective is only fooling him/herself but we can all try, right?That being said I understand a lot of Avs fans’ feelings (Hey I am one!) as though the zebras have been inconsistent in their calls this series. Even going so far as saying the Avs are getting screwed. I have felt that way many times this series. Screaming at the TV last night even! I realize though this all comes from emotion. Every fan wants their team to win and when one team gets so many calls in their favor and the other seems to get none, certain things like facts tend to get lost in emotions. That is fine and you can feel that way for a while but at some point you need to admit to the facts.The Sharks have simply been the better all around team in this series. We can talk about details in all areas but the main thing you need to look at is puck possession. Face it. The Sharks have dominated in this area the whole series and it is the most important area in hockey. The team without the puck is going to take more penalties trying to gain possession of the puck. We can hate on the Sharks all we want for being good at this, but those are the breaks. It’s juvenile to suggest the Avs are down 3-2 or lost last night purely because of officiating. Could this series be officiated better? Yes. Apparently there are quite a few blogs out their complaining of officiating in every playoff series. Mainly the consistency. That’s really no surprise as I’ve seen this all the time in my 10+ years of watching NHL hockey. Maybe some time they’ll be able to be consistent but I doubt it.Nonetheless, the Avs have played far above anyone’s expectations this season and the playoffs. They have a bright future ahead of them and for a “stop-gap” team to have done this well this year is a surprise and great news to us all. Also, this series is also not over yet! This young team has given SJ fits at times! Anything can and will happen in the playoffs – goals in off Dmen, Dmen putting the puck in they’re own net (OK maybe not that one again ;) ).The point is Go Avs!! Great year and way to stay in the series! Sorry for the rant… people will just skip over it. That’s my 2 cents. I’m Beavis! Thanks. Good night and remember to tip your waitress!!

twocupsmenocupsyou

Dude, nobodys belittling the Sharks accomplishments, get over yourself! Sheesh, you are a troll and posting weird crap here! Go away, nobody is listening! Post on SJMN, thats where ya belong!

hockeyswede

Finally, another team feels the pain that the Washington Capitals have been experiencing against the likes of the Pittsburgh Penguins the last 15 times those teams have met. Out of the last 15 games between PIT/WSH. the Caps have NEVER had more power plays than the Pens. NEVER.The NHL sucks.

Damn it man, i'm referring to Galiardi being a pest for the Sharks this series, and some players would greet him with that in the back of their heads. Take time reading the posts…..

Nick

Who the hell is Travis McGinn? Any relation to Scooter Duchene?

pedroforsbergo

Friggin' funny man!Maybe he was thinking of Travis Moen. That's like a year too late though. He's on MTL now and only played 25 games for the Sharks in 2009. Not like I need to say any of that stuff as most of us probably already knew it.At least he got Jamie McGinn right in the DP article.

pedroforsbergo

Friggin' funny man!Maybe he was thinking of Travis Moen. That's like a year too late though. He's on MTL now and only played 25 games for the Sharks in 2009. Not like I need to say any of that stuff as most of us probably already knew it.At least he got Jamie McGinn right in the DP article.

twocupsmenocupsyou

Sorry Bill! Crossfire! I do think Dater is right. No matter who is winning or dominating a game, the refs should get the calls right. Keep in mind, Daters opinions are reservered for his blog and twitter. Usually, his reporting does not involve what you are refering too here, however.

Bill

No problem…. and I just think Dater should stop with the officiating thing, or the attendance, or blowing the blake hit out of proportion. I don’t like my teams’ beat writer being called an idiot by an NHL radio show.

I see the ref’s sliding slightly towards the Sharks, but I’m an AVS fan :), but more seriously, the games have to be called to their best, it’s obvious and it’s not that bad.

twocupsmenocupsyou

LOL! Owe you a beer! Just tired of all the SJ trolls and going overboard! I see what you mean! Take care my friend! AND please accept my apologies! Sitting here with a broken ankle and pissed off at the series! Argh! Sorry dude!

Bill

I’ll take a nice cold Guinness :)

Go AVS… and get well twocupsmenocupsyou

TrollStomp

“The crap that is posted here on this blog is absolutely ridiculous. Have some class, give credit where credit is due and own up to defeat”And he calls the MVP of this series Candy Andy. Guy, Nabokov has not been, and will not be a Championship goalie. See you tomorrow night. Also, read the blog next time, Dater says the Sharks were the better team last night. That doesn't make bad officiating any more valid.And your online namesake scored last night! Finally! And when it didn't matter! Go figure!

408Marleau12

MVP of the series? Didn’t Anderson get pulled last night? That’s a real MVP right there buddy! I would say that the MVP of this series would be Pavelski, yep Joe Pavelski, now that is a real hockey player. Anderson has been good, not great, considering how he can see just about about every shot that came his way until the Sharks finally got traffic in front of him. The Avalanche played hard and earned their 8th seed, but the Sharks will come out on top. And it doesn’t matter when Marleau scored, not every goal has to be a GW. He scored on the PP, and the Sharks routed the Av’s. That’s all that matters in my book. The Av’s didn’t score at all last night and looked like a bunch of kids…oh wait they are!

Bill

Anderson achieved the most for his team up to this point, it’s maybe the biggest story of the 1st round (Could be confirmed or lessened ’til the end, but so far)

408Marleau12

That’s great for Anderson, really. Like I said he is good, but MVP…no way. Pavelski. He’s just been heroic. That whole line (Setoguchi, Clowe, and Pavelski) for the Sharks has been HUGE. If it weren’t for them who knows where the series would have gone, well them and the 3 goals that were given to the Av’s off Vlasic, Blake, and that incredibly lucky bounce from Boyles clearing attempt that went off O’Reilly’s stick. Maybe next year Av fans. Maybe next year.

Bill

Who do you think got more press from stations covering other series? Pavelski or Anderson?

TrollStomp

“I would say that the MVP of this series would be Pavelski, yep Joe Pavelski, now that is a real hockey player.”

I would say that Pavelski has been good, not great. Has Pavelski had a 51 shot shutout, has Pvaelski faced 40 or so shots behindf an admittedly shaky defense every night? Your argument is ridiculous guy. Where would the Avs be in this series if it wasn’t for Andy! It’s far more impressive for a goalie to play like Andy has in behind a young, inexperienced team, than it is for some second-tier scoring to create some offense when the “ghost” line is not. And one more thing, it absolutely DOES matter when your star players score in the playoffs. In fact, scoring the BIG goals in PLAYOFF hockey is a definitive aspect of any Superstar. Just wait, in a few years the Av’s will have several SUPERSTARS to wipe your sharks out… when it matters.

Please, learn a thing or two about hockey before you start puking your nonsense all over our beloved blog.

TrollStomp

“The crap that is posted here on this blog is absolutely ridiculous. Have some class, give credit where credit is due and own up to defeat”And he calls the MVP of this series Candy Andy. Guy, Nabokov has not been, and will not be a Championship goalie. See you tomorrow night. Also, read the blog next time, Dater says the Sharks were the better team last night. That doesn't make bad officiating any more valid.And your online namesake scored last night! Finally! And when it didn't matter! Go figure!

Dave's A Killer

First off Sharks fans, get the frig off our blog! Secondly, to label Dater a homer is asinine if you ever actually frequent this blog more than during this series or read any of his columns! We rip him as much as you do for his critical and pessimistic writing! I wish he was a homer then I could feel all warm and fuzzy every time I read The Post, but alas, this is not the case. Dater's right,the Avs are getting a raw deal on the calls, and there's no conspiracy, but there sure as shoot is a little extra slack afforded to the Sharks and very little for the Avs. Vetrans getting the benefit of the doubt from the refs versus rookies and unknowns not? Possibly. I still think it deserves attention. A 2:1 differential in PP opportunities is a little conspicuous.

jimbo

A homer can still be pessimistic, don’t confuse the two. The fact that Dater is pessimistic about the Avs is just his nature, but it does not mean he’s not a homer.

Brad

The Avs did not lose the last two games because of the refs, they lost because of they were outplayed for the majority of the games. Their backchecking has been terrible and it has led to odd man rush goals. San Jose has been the better team and it's begun to show.However, anyone watching the series can not honestly believe that the Avs are getting a fair shake with penalties. Blow calls and bad calls happen, but over the course of a series they usually even out, this series, they have not. It's not necessarily the calls that are being made on the Avs either, it's that when the Sharks make the same hits or holds on the Avs it goes unnoticed.

Brad

The Avs did not lose the last two games because of the refs, they lost because of they were outplayed for the majority of the games. Their backchecking has been terrible and it has led to odd man rush goals. San Jose has been the better team and it's begun to show.However, anyone watching the series can not honestly believe that the Avs are getting a fair shake with penalties. Blow calls and bad calls happen, but over the course of a series they usually even out, this series, they have not. It's not necessarily the calls that are being made on the Avs either, it's that when the Sharks make the same hits or holds on the Avs it goes unnoticed.

Brad

The Avs did not lose the last two games because of the refs, they lost because of they were outplayed for the majority of the games. Their backchecking has been terrible and it has led to odd man rush goals. San Jose has been the better team and it's begun to show.However, anyone watching the series can not honestly believe that the Avs are getting a fair shake with penalties. Blow calls and bad calls happen, but over the course of a series they usually even out, this series, they have not. It's not necessarily the calls that are being made on the Avs either, it's that when the Sharks make the same hits or holds on the Avs it goes unnoticed.

whereismatt

Has anyone informed Matt Duchene that the playoffs started 5 games ago? Did someone forget his wake-up call?

whereismatt

Has anyone informed Matt Duchene that the playoffs started 5 games ago? Did someone forget his wake-up call?

Jeffk

I'd love to see a guy like Galiardi in a Sharks uniform. He has been outstanding in this series. You Avs fans have a lot of good hockey to look forward to in the coming years. That being said, the Sharks future doesn't look so bad either. Besides the old standbys like Marleau, Heatley and Thornton, you've got emerging stars like Clowe, Pavelski (already an Olympian) Setoguchi, Couture, and Demers. The Sharks have also go a few more guys in Worchester including a goalie named Stalock you'll be seeing soon as well. This has always been a great rivalry, it will continue to be one in the future.

Chantal Rouleau

Couture and Demers are indeed very impressive and have all it gots to be stars in this league !

Jeffk

BradThe first couple of games the Avs committed about 3x as many penalties than were called. Every time a Shark player got in front of the net, someone planted a crosscheck in their back. I swear Clowe has a permanent stickmark on his back. As for the rest of the game. The Sharks may have twice as many powerplays, but they've also had attack zone possession time on a 2 to 1 (or more) ratio. The Avs are the “chasers” and chasing = penalties. The series has been officiated poorly, with many, many things being let go but to say that one team has had a decided advantage is just wrong.

LeftWingLuke

The Avs have gotten as fair a shake as anybody else. There have been missed calls both ways, as there always are. More penalties have been called on them because they've committed more infractions, in large part due to the amount of time they spend in their own end. Both teams are running more pic plays than they would have in the last couple of playoffs, both teams are being physical, both teams are doing things that should be penalties in the regular season. But the officiating has been consistent, and penalties haven't evened out because they haven't been even.I honestly believe that.

LeftWingLuke

The Avs have gotten as fair a shake as anybody else. There have been missed calls both ways, as there always are. More penalties have been called on them because they've committed more infractions, in large part due to the amount of time they spend in their own end. Both teams are running more pic plays than they would have in the last couple of playoffs, both teams are being physical, both teams are doing things that should be penalties in the regular season. But the officiating has been consistent, and penalties haven't evened out because they haven't been even.I honestly believe that.

LeftWingLuke

The Avs have gotten as fair a shake as anybody else. There have been missed calls both ways, as there always are. More penalties have been called on them because they've committed more infractions, in large part due to the amount of time they spend in their own end. Both teams are running more pic plays than they would have in the last couple of playoffs, both teams are being physical, both teams are doing things that should be penalties in the regular season. But the officiating has been consistent, and penalties haven't evened out because they haven't been even.I honestly believe that.

Lrob

cheers.

lrob

I think Dutchy is working on his jump-shot with Carmelo. That's why he's MIA

Are you guys seriously bitching about the calls? You lost 5-0! You're not good. The Avs are not good. The only 2 games you won, the Sharks scored for you! Stop making yourselves feel better. Your team sucks.

Bill

He's shown more grit than talent in this series, but he can rake up some points as well, and his aggresive play on the PK is awesome. Pavelski and Setoguchi are 2 players i'm discovering on the Sharks' side, gutsy players also.

Bill

He's shown more grit than talent in this series, but he can rake up some points as well, and his aggresive play on the PK is awesome. Pavelski and Setoguchi are 2 players i'm discovering on the Sharks' side, gutsy players also.

Lrob

Do you watch hockey? No. Did you read the entire article? No. Did you read any of the fan's posts (I've seen several classy, nonhomer posts from Avs fans recently). No. You did not. In fact, you're team's so good, they even can score on themselves!! Now that's something to brag about.

Evilducks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ijISwhvkygAbout the 40 second mark Hanan jumps into the fight with fists flying and ends up dropping his gloves and throwing more punches.We define peace keepers differently.McGinn should get 5. Hannan should get 5 and another 2 for being 3rd man in.

coooldude

The penalty minutes count is approximating the shot count. Tends to happen when your team is hemmed into your own zone for minutes at a time. Blake may have held someone behind the net, but that's happening nearly every shift as the sharks are cycling down low.In every series, there are blatant missed calls. In every scrum, something goes called and something goes uncalled and it's probably not exactly right. but over time, the penalties even out to where they should. I, as an objective hockey fan, saw that scrum totally differently. 2min crosscheck for McLeod, 2min roughing for McGinn, 2min roughing for Duchene, and at least 2 for Hannan for jumping in (he was not peacemaking, he was giving McGinn the stinkeye and doing all he could to hit him without dropping his gloves). Unless you believe in a broad based conspiracy for the sharks to be subversively supported by the referees (and against the Avs), there is no way that multiple different officiating pairings could consistently get it so imbalanced without being directionally right. And if you believe that, well, I guess I can't help you.

Johnny_San_Jose

McGinn certainly should have gotten a 5 minute major for him taking punches or at least a double-minor for roughing. The part of the article that I saw above that made me shake my head was the couple of sentences that said: “They were “fortunate” bounces. Every championship team gets a few of those along the way.” Are you seriously considering the Avalanche a “Championship team?” Really? Totally dominated for 4 out of 5 games? Oh yeah… it's the ref's fault. Blaming the referees is the sign of a weak team that is lucky to be where they are.

Johnny_San_Jose

McGinn certainly should have gotten a 5 minute major for him taking punches or at least a double-minor for roughing. The part of the article that I saw above that made me shake my head was the couple of sentences that said: “They were “fortunate” bounces. Every championship team gets a few of those along the way.” Are you seriously considering the Avalanche a “Championship team?” Really? Totally dominated for 4 out of 5 games? Oh yeah… it's the ref's fault. Blaming the referees is the sign of a weak team that is lucky to be where they are.

Dan G

That senario works great if you want to be sure the Ducks get a PP, which is exactly what the refs wanted to do, so thank you for proving my point. Now if you want to argue that the Ducks deserved to be given the PP, that is fine, that happens all the time in hockey. Refs construct the penalties so the 'right' team gets the PP. From my pov, the refs constucted PPs for the Sharks way too many times for typical playoff scrums during this series. I don't think it is a conspiracy. I just thnk this is what happens in hockey and it hasn't been going the Avs way. Let me put it this way. McLeod get 5 mins for charging McGinn which was the correct call. Good way to calm things down in a game where 'out of hand' was around the corner. From how calls have been going this series, if McGinn runs an Avs player that way, he gets less or 'hey that's just hockey.'

Boss

You're a classy fan. Keep up the good work, bud. By the way, post all your hating comments on your own board.

pedroforsbergo

I don't believe he's considering this incarnation of the Avs a championship team. The statement of every championship team gets fortunate bounces should be applied more liberally. In that sense it is true.I almost think he's admitting the Avs have won 2 games on very fortunate bounces. If he's not then I will and any team will take those kind of wins. By contrast, SJ has not received such fortunate bounces. At least, not bounces of that caliber that directly determined the outcome of the game. Some may argue that the Foote penalty in Game 2 OT could be a lucky bounce for SJ but I digress. If the Avs don't give up 3 goals in the last minute of each period that game, then that scenario doesn't even come about.

JeffK

Thank you for posting that youtube clip. After watching that can anyone tell me why McClown didn’t get ANYTHING? Not only did he crosscheck Murray in to Nabokov, but he was back there sans gloves roughing up anyone who got in his way. He at least should have gotten 2 minutes for the crosscheck. That would have really riled up the Avs forums.

SharksFan1

Hey Avs fans,Where are the majority of these penalties taking place? In your defensive zone. How much time have the sharks spent in your defensive zone? About 60 to 70% of the game. Spend less time in the D-zone and you will take less penalties. The refs are not calling it one-sided. Yes, there have been bad calls. Even I will give you the McGinn call as being bad last night, but all in all you are doing this to yourselves.PS. For Denver being such a sports oriented city, you are all a bunch of whiners.

biomag

Well Sharks will win this series and not reach the WCF anyhow, so who cares about them;)I am more concerned about Sacco still playing Cumiskey. This guy can play as terrible as in this series and still be in the line up. Sacco should wake up. Cumiskey can be good and do a fine job, but at the moment he doesn't deserve a single minute of icetime. He has a -4 rating (worst Av) and except for his goal he was really, really bad. Get us Clark or even Salei, just get him off the ice. I would really appriciate if Cumiskey gets the same treatment that Liles did.

SJ49er

Enjoy the offseason. Are you also a Broncos fan? Because that would sure suck. Get excited about Tebow everybody! Now you have 3 mediocre quarterbacks!!!!!!

mogendavid

Rule 38.2 Real Time Scorers – There shall be appointed for duty at every game played in the League the following Real Time Scorers:(i) Shot Scorer(ii) Action Scorer(iii) Penalty Scorer(iv) Time on ice – Home(v) Time on ice – Visitor(vi) Spotterhttp://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=26325As for the penalty it probably is all a wash. About two minutes to the Shark looks about right maybe even depending on the officiating crew and who they “owe” at the moment.

Boss

um what? I don't watch football. Nice try at a personal attack…

Nickolas

The Sharks are a better team. Enough said.

elecco

The calls have been tilted in the Sharks favor because the Sharks have spent a considerable amount of time in the Av's defensive zone. This causes the Av's to tire and take penalties. If the Av's want to get some calls, they need to spend more time in the Sharks zone. I don't have the “facts”, but I guarantee that most penalties are taken by the team defending in their zone.

DaterIsABaddie

How did Dater get into journalism??? He's embarrassing himself…

Nick

I hope Dater reads his colleague Terry Frei’s blog entry. Frei presents an excellent discussion of the reasons for inequity of penalty calls.

Dater had destroyed all respect I had for this newspaper’s sports section. Frei has restored some of that respect. I think Frei is embarrassed by Dater when he says “I always have believed it’s unfortunate when the allegedly objective media are drawn into that kind of thinking, in any sport. “

Adrian Dater

Nick,
I’d said all along the Sharks have been the better team. I just think the calls have been bad this series, some anyway. Read next time

kpster

Have you Checked McGinn’s age. Denver is full of Cry Babies. Suck it up, both your wins came on flukes…

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.

Chambers covers college and professional hockey for The Denver Post. He has written for the Post since 1994, after dumping his first 9-to-5 office job a couple years out of college. He primarily follows the University of Denver hockey team and helps cover the Avalanche.